Top 100 US Exporters

The Journal of Commerce’s annual Top 100 US Importers and Exporters ranking begins with data from PIERS, a sister product of The Journal of Commerce within IHS Markit, and is enhanced by information gathered from other industry sources.

The figures are expressed in TEU, the most common measurement of containerized ocean shipping. One standard 40-foot ocean container equals two TEU.

These lists are restricted to shippers — beneficial owners of containerized cargo that entered or exited U.S. ports by ocean vessel during 2015. The statistics don’t include shippers associations, carriers, non-vessel-operating common carriers, forwarders or brokers, third-party logistics providers, banks, or “to-order” negotiable bills of lading, or data falling under privacy strictures. International import and export cargoes moving into and out of the US via air, rail or truck are not included.

In tandem with last year’s ranking and considerable industry research, the list also identifies corporate subsidiaries and strives to reflect any changes in corporate status related to mergers, acquisitions, spinoffs, formal name changes or bankruptcy filings. We also identify the location of corporate headquarters and, if the global headquarters is outside the US, the parent company. We indicate a website if one is available and the industry sector, adding a short note about each company, often recent news or an interesting fact.

These rankings represent our best approximation of the total international oceanborne shipments by these companies and their subsidiaries. We welcome your feedback.

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The changes hitting the retail sector as a result of e-commerce are happening so quickly and so intensely that it’s possible that regular mainstays of the Top 100 Importers list could fall off the rankings, or fall apart entirely.

Some of the fastest-climbing companies on the JOC’s Top 100 Importers and Exporters rankings share a common trait: They either partner with or are part of a conglomerate that allows them to create synergies of scale.

The Journal of Commerce’s annual Top 100 U.S. Importers and Exporters ranking begins with data from PIERS, the data division of JOC Group, and is enhanced by information gathered from other industry sources. The figures are expressed in 20-foot-equivalent units, or TEUs, the most common standard measurement of containerized ocean shipping. One standard 40-foot ocean container equals two TEUs.

When the Obama administration in February 2010 announced its National Export Initiative, the U.S. was coming out of one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression. Trade was surging and global container carriers suddenly were flush with billions of dollars in combined profits after losing billions the previous two years. Exports, it seemed, were well on their way to driving the U.S. economy forward.